The present invention relates generally to automatic tone failure detection in a telecommunication system and more specifically to a system to automatically detect tone and message failures in a telephonic system, such as an automatic call distributor system.
Telecommunication systems employing an automatic call distributor having a multiport switch controlled by a central processing unit in conjunction with a main memory for selectively interconnecting telephone calls received from external telephonic units of an external telephonic switching network, are well known. Examples of such automatic call distributors are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,004 issued to Lenihan et al. on Jun. 30, 1992, entitled Tone and Announcement Message Code Generator for a Telephonic Switching System and Method and U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,611 issued to Jones et al. on Aug. 18, 1992, entitled Pulse Width Modulated Self-Clocking and Self-Synchronizing Data Transmission and Method for a Telephonic Communication Network Switching System. Telecommunication systems are also known to include ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) interfaces for connection to ISDN telephonic units and are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,416 issued to Dezonno et al. on June 11, entitled Automatic Call Distribution System with an ISDN Compatible Call Connection System and Method.
Automatic call distributor (ACD) systems arc typically used in business establishments to connect a plurality of external telephonic units, typically associated with customer calls, to a plurality of internal telephonic units, typically associated with agents who service the customers. The ACD provides individual telephonic units with information in the form of tones and messages. Tones are single, multiple, or alternating frequencies, and are continuous or intermittent. Familiar examples of such tones include the busy tone, ring back tone, dial tone, and touch tones. The messages or announcements are voice communications such as "your call cannot be completed," and "calls are now being taken at the number . . ." These tones and messages are stored in the ACD and are provided, as required, to the customer whose call is routed from an external telephonic network to the ACD.
Hardware and software failures have been known to occur in ACD systems that adversely affect the production of tones and messages. Typical ACD systems digitally store the tones and messages in memory and "map" the tones and messages to particular channels on a time multiplexed basis. Corruption of memory locations and software "bugs" may cause a failure in the production of tones and messages. Failures may also occur in the circuits that generate the tones and announcements, and such circuits are referred to as DAS circuits (Digital Audio Source). When a failure occurs, the customer calling the ACD from an external telephonic unit recognizes that the call has been answered, but cannot hear anything further. The customer is said to experience "dead-air time." This is very disconcerting and frustrating to the customer, who often disconnects the call. If proper connection cannot be established by redialing the telephone number once more, the customer may chose not to redial the business establishment, resulting in potential loss of business. Other types of failures may result in tones and messages that are not sufficiently loud causing the customer to experience difficulty in hearing the tones or message. When such failures occur, it may be difficult or impossible for the customer to recognize the content or meaning of the message. Similarly, business opportunities may be lost.
Known ACD systems do not have any way to automatically detect when failures occur with respect to the generation of tones and messages. Typically, the agent is eventually notified by a customer who is finally able to successfully contact the agent through the ACD. The customer may inform the agent that he or she has had difficulty in reaching the agent. Of course, the customer may neglect to inform the agent of the problem, and other callers may experience the same problems. If the customer does inform the agent that a problem was experienced, the agent may then notify a supervisor, a system technician, or other personnel that a failure has occurred. The service personnel must then locate and correct the fault.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel method and system to substantially overcome the above-described problems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel tone fault detection system for an ACD system.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel tone fault detection system that automatically detects when tones and messages are not produced or not produced at a sufficient power level.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a novel tone fault detection system that automatically determines in which port of the ACD the failure has occurred.
It is still an object of the present invention to provide a novel tone fault detection system that provides the ACD system with an alarm indicating that a fault has been detected.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a novel tone fault detection system that is separate from the ACD system and connects to the ACD system through a Basic Rate Line interface device.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a novel tone fault detection system that logs into the ACD system and appears to the ACD system as a supervisory console.